Gold-sepabatob



ROBERT L. REANEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GOLD-SEPARATOR.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 26,784, dated January 10, 1860.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. REANEY, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Grinding and Separating Gold fromQuartz or other Minerals with \Vhich it is Found Associated; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents avertical central sec tion taken through the pans showing the arrangementof rollers and the central overflow, with the inlet and exit pipes. Fig.2 is a plan View of the apparatus, with the parts arranged in positionfor operation.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

My invention combines in one machine three distinct operations, viz:grinding the gold quartz, or other mineral with which gold is foundassociated, and reducing the same to a pulverulent state, washing andcarrying olf the lighter particles which are mechanically held insuspension by a stream of water, acting upon them in a peculiar manner,and lastly effecting by means of grinders or Crushers (which also act asagitators) and the action of the water upon the quartz, a more perfectamalgamation of the particles of gold than has ever been obtainedbefore, and with great economy of time, labor and space, as hereinafterdescribed.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents a circular iron vessel of any desirable capacity having aninclined or flaring rim proceeding up a suitable distance from thebottom of the pan, in the center of which is a concentric tube oroverflow, B, cast solid with the basin and proceeding up from the bottomof the pan but not as high as the outer rim; and surrounding an openingthrough the center of the bottom of the basin, the relative height anddiameter of this overflow tube with the outer rim of the basin will bebest determined by practice. Within this tube rests a step block, D, ofa less diameter than the bore of the tube, having four wings, E, whichkeep the block in a steady vertical position, and permit the water afree passage down through the tube.

In the center of this step block'is a circular recess and a steel disk,a, for the bearing of a square vertical driving shaft, C; this shaft istapered and rounded off at its lower end, so as to fit into the recessin the step block.

The vertical shaft, C, is supported by a suitable frame at its upperend, and rotated by bevel gearing, belt pulley, or otherwise, andcommunicates motion to four or more solid cast iron rollers, H H,`H H,running vertically in the water, and which revolve on their own axisaround the shaft, C, on the bottom of the pan, A. The horizontal shaft,I, upon which these rollers are hung has a mortise through the squareenlargement of its center, through which the square shaft, C, passes,which mortise is made slightly larger than the shaft, O, So as to allowthe shaft I to play freely up and down, and also to allow for a slightelevation of either pair of rollers, which is necessary in orderthatqt-hey may adapt themselves to any inequalities in the thickness ofthe layer of the solid matters upon the bottom of the pan, A.

K is a smaller pan or weight basin supported above the rollers by meansof a. square case, J, which surrounds the shaft, C, and rests upon thehub or enlargement of the roller shaft, I, and turns with the shafts.This pan may be filled with weights, if it should be found necessary atany time to increase the pressure of the rollers and their crushingaction.

L is a valve cock for the admission of water into the basin, A, or fordrawing o' the water previous to withdrawing the amalgam; another cock(not shown) may be introduced in the side of the `pan above the cock, L,for the admission of water if found necessary. G is the tube throughwhich the water and rock detritus pass off, and M, an opening and pipein the bottom of the pan, A, through which the amalgam is drawn off forstraining and distillation to obtain the gold contained therein.

This gives a description of the general form and arrangement of myapparatus, I will now proceed to describe the operation of grinding,washing and amalgamating the ore so as to extract from it the puremetal.

On commencing the operation of separating gold from the quartz, slate,rock, earth, clay, mud, or river mud the apparatus is to be set inmotion, and a small stream of warm water allowed to pass into the panthrough the pipe, L. The bottom of the pan is covered With mercury. Thegold bearing quartz ,is then added, having been previously broken bystamps, and reduced to lumps of about one-quarter of an inch in size. Idesign to employ a device for feeding the sand or ore to the mill, whichWill consist of a feeding trough or pipe With a valve opening into thepan and operated by the roller, shaft, or otherwise, at eachyrevolution, and allowing a certain portion to fall in the pan as fast asthe ore therein is reduced.

The Water, which is heated as above stated, passes into the pan justover the surface of mercury and with the aid of the rollers, Washes outthe lighter particles and carries them over the central tube, B, anddovvn through pipe, G, instead of over the outer rim of the pan; and bythis means it is impossible for any particles of the gold or quicksilverto rise to the surface and HOW over at this point, Whereas if theoverflow is allowed to take place over the outer rim of the pan, A, aconsiderable portion of both metals are lost, being carried over by theforce of the currentcreated by the motion of the rollers around theinterior of the pan, for these rollers Will impart to the semi-fluidcontents a current setting in the same direction With themselves Whilethe centrifugal force thus generated tends to keep the fluid up againstthe outer rim of the basin to a height considerably greater than is everattained by that portion of the fluid lying immediately in contact Withthe inner rim or overiioW tube, B. In fact it is found that the Watersurrounding this tube is comparatively tranquil, and partakes of thegeneral agitation no more than is necessary for the mechanicalsuspension of the fine detritus Which is carried over by the current.

The advantage derived from the use of heated Water, as above stated, isthat besides the tendency it has to somewhat soften the soluble matters,thus facilitating their reduction; it also has the more important effectof preventing or of greatly retarding the division of the mercurycommonly called flowing, Which invariably happens when the mass .issubjected to much agitation, While by letting the Water in low down, itis brought directly in contact with the crushed ore and effects itsobject in a more eflicient manner than when let in from above. Theaction of the Weighted iron rollers upon the quartz for crushing, andthe rollers themselves, is similar to those now in common use. Y

Grains of gold, silver, Vor other ductile metals, when ground or crushedwith quartz or other hard substances, usually Hatten under the mill intoa solid cake, 'and thus prevent the grinding surface from coming closeenoughY to crush the stony matriX, or foreign substances to animpalpable powder. But if, when thus crushed asV fine as possible thegrains of gold lare liberated, and separated, the remaining stonymatters can then be ground as fine as necessary, and the finestparticles of metal even such as are invisible to the naked eye, may beliberated and amalgamated and thus saved. To accomplish the separationof these finer particles my invention is especially intended; and byletting in the heated Water just over the surface of the mercury theearthy particles are kept constantly suspended by agitation, in such amanner that While' the light and heavy substances are separated fromeach other by virtue ofl their respective gravities, the heavy metallicportions Will remain to the bottom of the vessel and the light andrefuse earth be Washed avvay from the surface in the current of Waterwhich constantly passes through theapparatus.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of the case J, Weight pan K, shaft I, rollers I-I, I-I,central overflow tube B, and exit pipe L, as and for the purpose hereinshovvn and described.

ROBT. LYREANEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. Huss, JESSE M. TYsoN.

